Monday
Sep182006
Welcome to Egypt
Matthew Carrington
Remember the survey at the beginning of the summer that suggested tourists are unhappy with the way they’re treated in Egypt? If memory serves, it blamed overcharging service industry types for many visitors making Egypt a once-in-a-lifetime experience. After a weekend trip across the Sinai, though, I think there may be another culprit, and I think the little fellow behind his clipboard might know who it is.
Snapped lounging at a highway check-stop making gestures all-too-familiar to women around Cairo, he didn’t want his picture to be taken and wasn’t about to offer his thoughts on the macro-economic implications of the country being overrun by half-trained goons, but I think his input is clear enough.
I’m guessing that there are quite a few people in government here who are familiar enough with Europe—if only Switzerland—to understand that being openly harassed, be it by well-armed soldiers on street corners or by beltagui with guns stuffed into their jeans in the middle of the desert, isn’t something that is going to encourage tourists to make a return visit.
Pity that taxi drivers and waiters are so much easier to blame.
Reader Comments (11)
I can't think what you mean. I personally have found nothing more delightful than wandering the streets of Cairo accompanied by a symphony of hissing, catcalls and the ever-wonderful comparisons of body parts to various different types of fruit. Welcome In Egypt...
Welcome in Egypt, indeed. Men, try dressing in drag some day and walking through the streets of Cairo, just for the experience.
A very good comment. And a good point about how ppl always seem to complain about ordinary Egyptian folks, never those who really cause the troubles...
"A very good comment. And a good point about how ppl always seem to complain about ordinary Egyptian folks, never those who really cause the troubles…"
3rd World rule of thumb: Power corrupts, power in corrupt countries corrupts absolutely.
Recently had a friend travel to Egypt with his girlfriend. Both white, all-American looking types, but generally culturally sensitive. The girl dyed her blond hair black and wore loose, long-sleeved/legged clothing. No burka for her, though. At the pyramids a bunch of young men surrounded her and started groping. Fortunately some police were nearby to rescue them.
The whole scene sounded very strange. The authorities were very sensitive to the safety of tourists. Often when they got in a cab a policeman - rifle in hand - would jump in and accompany them.
Heck, I expect service industry types to overcharge supposedly rich foreign tourists (within reason). But this widespread molesting/harassing women stuff is a sign of something really wrong in the culture.
I'm not sure the harassing is a sign of something terribly wrong per se, as much as it might be the concept of bint familia + the issue that tourists have money and a lot of Egytians and others are never, ever going to have a passport, let along actually leave their country, having gotten out of whack.
I am not condoning this kind of behavior, mind you. Not at all. I got groped at a joutiya once and whacked the guy so hard his head spun around. When his friends remonstrated with me, I tod them they were lucky I didn't have a knife and that my husband was looking for a petit camion, because they would have had to take an ambulance home.
And I'm definitely not blonde or very tall...
Try going to Fayoum and being around those psychopaths for any length of time. The good news: the police are there to protect you. The bad news: Nobody to protect you from the police. Fayoum... great place except for all of the Fayoumis!
As a footnote to this sorry phenomenon, remember that there are a bunch of female tourists who *do* come to Egypt to get male attention, and make things harder for the rest of us who don't.
Though this is more common in Luxor than Cairo, I remember a time years ago when I was sitting in a cafe in Khan el-Khalili next to a mother-daughter pair with sleazy tour guide. The mother was actually giving the slimeball nods of encouragement as he flirted with her rather awkward sixteen-year-old daughter. Unfortunately I think there will always be women who use the fact of being white to get laid abroad and don't stop to think what this does to wider perceptions of tourists.
totally, I've seen that too, Or then there is the ultimate souvenir, a "spouse" or "fiance(e)" that gets acquired sometime during the trip. And this goes for men as well.
You have been http://gr33ndata.blogspot.com/2006/09/very-basic-tag.html" rel="nofollow">tagged
http://gr33ndata.blogspot.com/2006/09/very-basic-tag.html
Got very positive experiences from my travels to Egypt, I'll come back there for sure. Sinai is absolutely amazing place, though I know life there is very tough for bedouins/locals..